My interest in Bear Clover began when I met Bill Cressman in about 2003 at his home above Tollhouse, California on Peterson Road. He was in his 80's at the time, and he told me that when he was a child, that he and a friend were paid to collect Bear Clover which a man sold in Fresno as a cure for cancer. He also told me that when his mother was in her 50's, and sick, that when the doctors operated they had found inoperable cancer and had told her there was nothing they could do. She went home, drank a tea made from the Bear Clover, and that she lived to her 80's. Bill has since passed away, and I did not get details of how much bear clover she used in the tea or how much of the tea she drank. I have made and drunk some tea made from the Bear Clover, and the taste is pretty strong, though if effective, that would be a small sacrifice to make.
The following link shows pictures of the plant and the areas where it grows in California.
http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=1914
I would appreciate input and experiences which anyone could share about Bear Clover.
